Opinion: Covid-19 will worsen the opioid overdose crisis if we don’t prepare now
People who take methadone or buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder aren't able to stay home because government regulations limit how these medications are prescribed and dispensed. That needs to…
by Ximena A. Levander and Sarah E. Wakeman
Mar 17, 2020
4 minutes
In cities across the country, morning is peak time at almost any opioid treatment program. The line stretches from the front counter to the back door as patients wait to get their daily dose of methadone. It’s an absolutely essential gathering, but one that runs counter to containing the Covid-19 outbreak.
Efforts by health systems and governments to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes the disease, have revealed gaping cracks in our nation’s public health and safety net infrastructure. The virus appears to have an outsized effect on vulnerable Americans. We have already seen in a Seattle nursing
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